This invention relates to medical feeding devices, and more particularly to a holder for feeding tubes.
There is a need for feeding tubes in a medical environment, both for adults, children and infants. For high-risk neonatal intensive care unit patients the simple task of feeding an infant can be complicated. Ideally, the infant would be held while the infant is being fed. However, this is not always possible, and also neonatal feeding tubes are difficult to handle. Applicant has developed a feeding tube holder, especially useful for neonatal care, for which U.S. Design Pat. No. D710,994 was issued on Aug. 12, 2014 to applicant, hereinafter referred to as the '994 patent or '994 holder. Said design patent is incorporated herein by reference.
In actual use, several limitations with the '994 holder have become apparent. Neonatal infants are tiny. Care of the infants causes support equipment to get bumped and sometimes pushed out of place. Feeding tubes may also come in different forms and sizes, which may require different sized holders. It would also be desirable that the holder be adapted for use with chairs as well as cribs.